In conventional underground mining installations the mined material, such as coal, is transported by one or more endless belt conveyors. Typically, the material is deposited onto the upper conveyor run at one end of the conveyor and is thus transported away from the mining area to processing equipment or perhaps to another endless conveyor. The loading or receiving end of such a conveyor includes an assembly known as a tail piece, which carries a tail roller over which the endless conveyor belt passes as the lower run becomes the upper run of the belt. Conventionally the tail piece includes a rigid frame assembly anchored to the floor of the mine and having a coal-receiving opening directly above the upper run which is moving away from the tail roller. Typically the tail piece includes a framework having rigid frame members extending longitudinally of the belt, with the opposite ends of the tail roller being mounted in bearings fixed to the frame members. The upper and lower runs of the conveyor belt are located between these frame members. A thick, flexible flap of rubber or similar material is attached along each side edge of the coal-receiving opening, the inner edge of each flap overlying an edge portion of the upper run of the belt. The flaps thus define an elongated coal-inlet slot, and they serve as guides to direct the incoming coal onto the upper run.
During operation of a conventional tail piece system there is inherently some coal which bypasses the upper belt run by falling over the edges of the upper belt run either on to the mine floor or on to the upper surface of the lower belt run. Coal which is deposited on the lower run is carried to the tail roller where it beomes pulverized to an extent by the action between the belt and the tail roller, and this coal becomes deposited on the mine floor adjacent the tail piece. In addition, considerable coal dust is released from the tail piece.
Typically, the coal deposited on the mine floor is removed by manual shovelling of the coal. This results in an additional labor expense. More importantly, however, manual removal of the coal is a dangerous operation because the person or persons removing the coal must work in close proximity to the tail roller. Many serious accidents involving loss of fingers, hands and arms have resulted from accidental contact with the tail roller or the belt as it passes over the tail roller.